Mobile incinerators



May 23, 1961 J. B. BRANDT ET AL 2,985,120

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MOBILE INCINERATORS 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Feb. 5, 1958 s /LV/ mw @0mm Sw N w mfg u W 55. @RN. i H//f gw w/ nited States Patent MOBILE INCINERATORS John B. Brandt, Melbourne A. Noel, Harry J. Kelly, and John J. Burns, all of Chicago, lll., assignors to Mobile Incinerators, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 712,826

1 Claim. (Cl. T10-18) Our linvention relates to improvements in mobile incinerators.

Our invention relat more particularly to a mobile incinerator of the type which may be driven from house to house as in towns, villages and cities to collect, pulverize land burn garbage or similar combustible refuse, reducing it to ashes and storing the ashes until the end of a days operation, at which time the ashes may be removed.

The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a mobile incinerator for collecting and burning garbage or similar combustible refuse, the unit being of such size that an amount of garbage may be consumed or disposed of that Iis comparable with the amount that presently may be picked up and taken to a garbage dump by a single collection truck in a given period of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved mobile incinerator for burning garbage or similar combustible material which may include combined conveyor and crusher rolls for reducing the garbage to combustible size and transporting the same to a vibrating grate in a primary combustion chamber, providing a fuel burner of sutlicient capacity to consume said garbage at the rate at which it is being dumped into the incinerator, said combustion apparatus and process including a primary combustion chamber, a secondary combustion chamber, and a process of forced draft and water bath treatment for the smoke so that as it leaves the stack of the furnace there will be no visible form or odor tothe same.

A further object of the invention is to provide a highly etlicient furnace structure in a mobile incinerator of the type described and a novel construction of chambers and baffles for the path of the combustion gases including a water spray treatment and the use of forced draft to the stack so that there is an extremely rapid cooling of the waste gases before they are dissipated from the stack of the incinerator.

A further object of the invention is to provide an incinerator of the type described which is comparatively compactly built and light in weight, yet capable of operation as described in a highly e'cient and satisfactory manner.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent vfrom the following description wherein reference 4is made to the accompanying drawings, upon which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a mobile incinerator constructed in accordance with our invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the furnace showing the primary and secondary combustion chambers and associated parts;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view Fig. 5 is a plan sectional view through the crushing rice 2 rolls and associated parts taken on the line S--S of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through the top of the conveyor taken generally on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through the secondary combustion chamber and the gas passageways leading to the vertical stack, taken generally on the line 7--7 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 8 is a plan sectional View taken generally on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

I-n the embodiment of the invention which we have chosen to illustrate and describe the same, we have shown the usual type of garbage and refuse collecting vehicle which may include front wheels 10 and back wheels 12 supporting la frame 14 having a cab 16 at the forward end of the vehicle. The usual motor (not shown) is provided for driving the vehicle, the same being fueled by propane gas which may come from a tank 18 mounted below the frame 14 adjacent the forward end of the truck body.

We provide the usual tail gate portion 20 which may be provided with a pair of comparatively wide side wall openings 22 `and directional spouts or funnels 24 so that workmen may dump garbage or other refuse in drums or large barrels over the edge portion of the spouts or funnels 24 and the same will ow downwardly through the openings 22 in the side walls 26 of the tail gate 20.

The bottom end of the tail gate 20 is provided with a pair of crusher rolls 28 and 30 which are adapted to pulverize or reduce the size of material dumped into the same so that the material may be carried upwardly from the floor 32 of the tail gate between an inner wall 34 and an outer wall 36 by means of a conveyor 3S. The conveyor 38 may consist of a pair of endless chains 38a and 38b upon opposite sides of the crusher rolls 28 and 30, the chains being trained about sprockets 40 mounted on the ends of crusher roll shaft 42 and sprockets 44 mounted on the ends of crusher roll shaft 46.

The drive for the conveyor system may preferably be a hydraulic motor 48 of the usual type having a gear reducer combined therewith to effect the desired speed of the shaft 46, the same having a face gear 50 keyed thereto between suitable bearings 52 and 5'4 in the tail gate 20, the face gear meshing with a similar face gear 54 keyed to the shaft 42 and positioned between suitable bcarings 56 and 58 in the tail gate 20. The opposite ends of the shafts 42 and 46 are also mounted in suitable bearings 60 on the floor of the opposite side of the tail gate 20.

vThe conveyor 38 is provided with spaced paddle or blade members 62 which are astened between the inside walls of the endless chains 38a and 38h, the paddle 62 riding upwardly between the outer wall 36 and the inner wall 34 to a point adjacent the top 64 of a vertical passageway v66 which may extend forward in the top of the dump truck body portion 68 of the Vehicle. The chains 38a and 38h (see Fig. 6), are trained about idler sprockets 70 and 72 located adjacent the vertical passageway 66 formed by the top wall 64 and bottom Wall 74, the forward end of the sprocket 38 being trained about idler sprockets 76 mounted on a cross-shaft 78.

The sprockets 70 and 72 upon each side of the tail gate portion 20 may be mounted in suitable sets of bearings 80 and 82 fastened to the side walls 26- of the tail gate. The tail gate assembly, as is well known in the art, is adapted to be pivotally mounted for outward swinging when the dump body portion is raised, and for this purpose the same is mounted upon a pivot 84 adjacent the top of the passageway 66. y

The dump body portion, which is directly below the tail gate portion 20, may include a floor portion 86 provided with the usual mechanism for pivotally raising the forward end of the same about a pair of pivots 88 adjacent the back end of the truck frame so that theY contents thereof may be dumped out of the open backend when desired., This mechanism may include the usual telescoping hydraulic piston assembly 90 mounted on a fixed bracket 92 on the rear axle housing 94of the truck, the extended end of the unit being pivotally connected at 96 to the bottom of the floor portion 86 so that the same can be raised as shown in dot-dash lines in Fig. 4. Suitable mechanism (not shown) is connected between the floor and the tail gate portion to extend the same so that tin cans and other rubbish which is deposited on the oor 86 may be dumped out when desired.

The forward end of the passageway 66 may communicate with a vertical hopper 98 which has a mouth 100 that has a rotary paddle member 102 mounted therein upon a center shaft 104. The paddle 102 serves to feed garbage and other refuse forward through the sloping passageway 106 into the primary combustion .chamber 108. A `centrally disposed divider 110 is mounted medially of the opening 106 to separate the refuse as it drops into the primary combustion chamber 108 to distribute the same evenly upon the oscillating grate member 109.

An operating oil burner 112, using propane gas as fuel and receiving the same from the tank 18, has a nozzle 114 directed through the refractory brick wall 116 at the forward end of the combustion chamber 108. .The grate member 109 may be of the usual type that is adapted to reciprocate back and forth during use, being mounted in a forwardly sloping position upon a pair of support members 118 and 1Z0. Each of the support members is provided with wheels 122 that ride upon horizontally disposed rails 124 positioned upon the floor 126 of the primary combustion chamber 108. The grate is adapted to be driven in an oscillating or vibrating action by a suitable motor and drive mechanism 130 positioned in a compartment or space 132 below the floor 134 of the secondary `combustion lchamber 136. 'We provide an ash pit 138 at the lower end of the sloping grate 109, the ash pit being -accessible by means of an opening 140 through the side wall 142 of the combustion chamber, and the opening 140 being closed by a suitable ash pit door 144.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 8, gases vfrom the primary combustion chamber 108 may pass through a rectangular opening 146 in a vertical wall 148 upon one side of the grate 109 to enter the secondary combustion chamber 136. A comparatively thick refractory wall may enclose the primary combustion chamber 108, consisting of the back wall 116, the side wall 142, the forward wall 150, and the comparatively thinner wall 148 which separates the primary and secondary combustion chambers. However, the forward wall 150 may continue to the side wall 152 of the secondary combustion chamber, Jthe top wall 154 being also of a thickness comparable to the side and end walls heretofore mentioned. Each of these refractory walls are spaced from the sheet metal outside panels forming the exterior body of the vehicle by a dead air space 156, as shown.

Smoke and other gases pass from the secondary combustion chamber 136 through an opening 160 into a passageway which leads this smoke and gas through a water bath and out through the stack of the unit. The opening 160 and the passageways 162 and V164 all have the side wall 152 upon one side of theY same, and a thinner refractory wall 16,6 on the other side, the wall 166 being adjacent the tiltable platform 86 of the dump body portion of the vehicle. i

The passageways 162 and 164 are separated by an air space formed by the sheet metal panels 168 and 170 connected across the bottom by a panel 172 and terminating at the top in horizontalpanels 174 and 176, forming asssnao a vertical air passageway 1'78 between the passageway 162 and the horizontal passageway at the top of air passageway 164 communicating with the stack 182. A sheet metal bafe 184 may hang from the lower end of the air space 186 and a similar baille 188 may be vertically positioned from the floor and extending upwardly parallel to the wall 168 of the air space 186.

Water pipes 190 and 192 are aligned with the top edges of each of the baifles184 and 18.8 with suitable nozzles directed against the sides of the same so that water under pressure may be directed thereon and form a continuous sheet of falling water against these bafes. A tank 192 is provided on the floor of the passageways to receive the water. An overflow pipe 194 may extend from the top of the tank to the water tank 196 positioned below the floor of the vehicle. Water under pressure may be pumped from the tank 196 through a conduit 198 to a water pump 200 positioned in the space 132 and driven by a suitable motor 202. The pump 200 may pump water `outwardly through the passageway 204 to the spray pipes 192 and 190, the same being connected together by a conduit 191.

In order to provide for moreY perfect combustion in the primary combustion chamber 108 and also to reduce the chimney output of smoke to a minimum, forced draft is provided -to assist in cleaner combustion. For this purpose we provide a motor 206 ypositioned in the space 132, the motor driving a fan 208 which has one conduit 210 directed into the primary combustion chamber 108 directly below the reciprocating grates 109. A second duct 212 may Wextend from the fan 208 outwardly and into a vertical `duct 214 `that may be positioned in the side wall 132, the outlet 216 of the duct 214 being below the stack 182 in the passageway 180 so that a draft directed from the fan through duct 214 and out through the stack 182, as shown, will draw gases and other materials upwardly and outwardly through the stack 182.

With the provision of a propane gas burner as thus described whereby a relatively high degree of heat can be obtained, and with the forced draft continuously operating, primary combustion thus reduces the garbage and other material to a minimum and at a rate of speed suciently high so that the incinerator may be moved about in the usual Amanner that garbage is picked up, the same being burned while this movement takes place, so that at the end of a working day the amount of garbage burned will be the same as' that which would have been carried away and dropped in a dump if the burner had not been used. Further, with the secondary combustion chamber, the forced draft associated with the passageways through the water spray, and with the primary combustion chamber, it can be seen that there is at all times a suction or draft created from vthe-combustion chamber through the stack, and through the introduction of oxygen in the. gases, cleaner and better combustion is obtained so that the gases -and smoke which -leave the stack will be rendered relatively odorless and smokeless. By the use of the water bath ,described the smoke is thoroughly cleaned and that which does escape from the stack is comparatively invisible.

'While we have illustrated and described a specific ernbodiment of lour invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made in the exact details shown and we do not wish to be limited in any particular; rather what we ydesireto secure vand protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A mobile refuse incinerator comprising a wheeled vehicle having a cab and motor at the forward end of the same, a truck body positioned at the rear ofsaid wheeled Vehicle and having a horizontal iioor, conveyor means mounted at lthe rear of said vehicle lfor carrying materials upwardly and forwardly in said truck body, a funnel below the upperrend of said conveyor, a rotary paddle member mounted in said funnel for feedingsad materials therethrough, a primary combustion chamber forward of said funnel, a passageway passing through the wall of said combustion ch: mber and in communication with said funnel, -a reciprocating grate in said combustion chamber, a gas yburner having a nozzle extending through the wall of said combustion chamber for directing its llames above said grate, a secondary combustion chamber on one side of said primary combustion chamber, a vertical Wall between said chambers having an opening therethrough, a vertical stack at the back end of said truck body, a passageway passing from said secondary combustion chamber back through said truck body to said stack, a forced draft ymechanism association with said primary combustion chamber and with said stack, said draft mechanism including a motor mounted below said secondary combustion chamber, a fan d-riven by said second mentioned motor, and a duct for conducting air from said fan `to said second mentioned passageway, so that improved combustion of said materials is achieved and smoke particles produced from the combustion of said materials in said incinerator are reduced to a minimum.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 620,458 Kennedy Feb. 28, 1.899 954,855 Decarie Apr. 12, 1910 1,952,389 Staples Mar. 27, 1934 1,977,644 Paxton Oct. 23, 1934 1,995,893 "McEver Mar. 26, 1935 2,011,344 Kelly Aug. 13, 1935 2,515,869 Gregg et al July 18, 1950 2,601,657 Brandt et al June 24, 1952 2,738,178 Kinney Mar. 13, 1956 2,772,438 Diaz Dec. 4, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 580,541 France Apr. 22, 1924 

